NORTHERN COUNTIES FOURSOMES AT INVERGORDON TEE TIMES

Competitors leave the tee in fours at ten-minute intervals for the Northern Counties’ Ladies’ Golf Association County Foursomes/Commonwealth Spoons competition at Invergordon Golf Club on Friday, July 22.


Abbreviations: BB, Bonar Bridge/Ardgay; C, Carrbridge; Cl, Cullen; F, Forres; FA, Fort Augustus; FR, Fortrose and Rosemarkie; G, Gairloch; Gl, Golspie; GOS, Grantown-on-Spey; I, Inverness; MO, Muir of Ord; N, Nairn; RD, Royal Dornoch; T, Tain.
10.20 - F. Allan (N) and N. Burtwell (N), P. Morrison (MO) and J. Fraser (MO); J. Nicol (I) and F. Williams (I), H. Stuart (MO) and N. Scrimgeour (MO); W. Spencer (MO) and C. Dingwall (MO), I. McIntosh (I) and S. Ramsay (I); K. Mackay (FR) and L. Nixon (FR), T. Weekes (RD) and M. Bagott (RD).
11.0 - K. Lawson (RD) and E. Cruikshank (RD), D. Marshall (F) and M. James (F); P. Bluck (RD) and S. Duncan (RD), M. Matheson (BB) and J. Hunter (BB); E. Hutton (MO) and E. Wallace (MO), V. Wright (F) and J. Cameron (FR).
11.30 - E. Hill (GOS) and E. Sloan (GOS), M. Orr (RD) and F. More (Gl); J. Thornton (FR) and M. MacCulloch (FR), S. Vickerman (GOS) and Merle Allan (GOS); I. Wilson (F) and D. McCaig (F), C. Ramsay (RD) and L. Dickenson (RD).
12.0 - M. Blair (RD) and S. McDonald (RD), P. Davis (F) and P. Cronin (F); S. Rowan (I) and D. Fraser (I), P. Moscati (RD) and M. Douglas (RD); S. Wilson (Cl) and S-D Wilson (Cl), M. Barr (G) and S. MacVicar (G);
12.30 - K. Bisset (FR) and J. Kennedy-Spence (FR), C. Marshall (N) and M. Clemow (FA); L. Fraser (FR) and G. Dowling (N), N. Morrison (C) J. Coulthard (GOS).

SIX-YEAR-OLD GIRL HOLED TEE SHOT, THEN DID WHAT DAD SAID

BLOOMINGTON, Illinois (AP) — A 6-year-old girl holed her tee shot on a course in central Illinois and calmly walked back to her cart.
Why such a quiet reaction? Reagan Kennedy's father had told the Bloomington girl not to make a lot of noise on the course.
But 13-year-old Cheyenne Broquard says she told her younger sister that a hole in one was the one time a golfer could be excused for making a little noise.

The (Bloomington) Pantagraph reports that Kennedy holed the 85-yard shot on the third hole at The Links at Ireland Grove.

Mother Erin Kennedy says her husband started to put a golf club in Reagan's hands when she was only 2. Shades of Tiger Woods and his father!

Reagan Kennedy says she's now working toward her ultimate golf goal — beating her father.
How many six-year-old girls can hit a golf ball 85 yards ... and of those how many can hit it as straight as to hole the shot? Remarkable.
Reagan Kennedy. Remember the name. Give her another 10 years or so and she could be making more headlines.

EILIDH BRIGGS SETS THE PACE WITH A PAR 71 IN SCOTTISH GIRLS

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Renfrewshire women's county champion Eilidh Briggs, beaten finalist in the Scottish women's championship at Machrihanish in May, lived up to her rating as the pre-tournament favourite by setting the pace with a level par 71 in the first qualifying round of the Scottish Under-18 girls' championship at Glenisla Golf Club, Alyth in Perthshire today.
Eilidh, pictured by Carol Fell, bound for Stirling University after the summer holidays, had only four pars in an eventful outward half of one-under-par 35. She bogeyed the short third, birdied the fourth, short fifth and sixth and bogeyed the long eighth.
Coming home, the Kilmacolm scratch player bogeyed the 13th and 15th but got her second 2 of the round with a birdie at the short 16th.
Connie Jaffrey (Troon Ladies) was a shot behind her with only three deviations from par in halves of 36. She bogeyed the seventh and 11th, birdied the ninth and all the rest were pars.
Aberdeen-born Gemma Dryburgh (Beaconsfield), who played without a practice round after figuring among the qualifiers at The Berkshire yesterday in the pre-qualifying round of the Ricoh Women's British Open championship, had a 73 to be in third place overnight.
Coming from the lightning-fast greens of the Ascot venue to the wet and slow putting surfaces of Glenisla gave Gemma a lot of problems and she bogeyed the fourth and ninth on her way to the turn in two-over-par 38.
But the student at IMG Leadbetter Academy, Florida - she steps up to Tulane University, Louisiana in late August, was able to birdie the 11th and 13th to offset further bogeys at the long 12th and 15th.
Defending champion Lesley Atkins (Gullane Ladies) had a double bogey 6 at the sixth on her way to a three-over 74, the same score as 14-year-old Clara Young (North Berwick), the youngest ever East Lothian women's county champion and a GB and I team member in the recent Junior Vagliano Trophy match for Under-16s at Royal Porthcawl against the Continent of Europe.
Also on 74 were Rachel Polson (Peterculter), recent winner of the Janice Moodie Trophy at Windyhill) and Gabrielle Macdonald (Craigielaw), reserve to last week's Scotland squad in the European girls' team championship in Sardinia.
Alyson McKechin, one of the girls who did play in that championship at Is Molas, finished on 76 today when, with two holes to play she had a chance of ending the day in the top three before she bogeyed the 17th and double-bogeyed the 18th for two halves of 38.
Shannon McGuire from Canmore finished on 78 but was bracketed with the leaders when she went to the turn in 36, thanks to birdies at the short fifth and long eighth cancelling out shots dropped at the second and ninth. But it was the proverbial game of two halves for Shannon - she required 42 shots for the inward journey: five bogeys and a doubel bogey at the 17th.
The leading 32 players after tomorrow's second qualifying round will go forward to the match-play stages. Going into the second round there are 34 players on 81 or better which suggests the cut-off mark for the match-play draw will be 162 or 163 ... if there is no dramatic change in the weather.
 The 18-hole final will be staged on Saturday morning.

FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND
Par 71 (36-35). Yardage 5,803
71 Eilidh Briggs (Kilmacolm).
72 Connie Jaffrey (Troon Ladies).
73 Gemma Dryburgh (Beaconsfield).
74 Rachel Polson (Peterculter), Gabrielle Macdonald (Craigielaw), Lesley Atkins (Gullane), Clara Young (North Berwick).
75 Emily Aird (Blairgowrie), Lauren Whyte (St Regulus), Hannah McCook (Grantown on Spey), Emma Greenlees (Dumfries and Galloway), Tegan Seivwright (Deeside).
76 Rachael Walker (Dumfries and Co), Heather Munro (Monifieth), Jemma Chalmers (Monifieth), Keren Ward (Glen), Alyson McKechin (Elderslie), Hannah Scott (Broomieknowe).
77 Tara MacTaggart (Minto), Ailsa Summers (Carnoustie Ladies), Jessica Meek (Carnoustie Ladies).
78 Shannen McGuire (Canmore), Eleanor Tunn (Reay).
79 Danielle Ker (Roxburghe), Kate McIntosh (Broomieknowe), Olivia Borwick (McDonald Ellon).
80 Eilidh Watson (Muckhart), Hannah Robb (Strathmore). Jorden Ferrie (Kirkintilloch)
81 Megan Clyne (Deeside), Linsey Stevenson (Elie and Earlsferry), Emma Caddow (Strathaven), Mhairi McKay (West Kilbride), Kimberley Beveridge (Aboyne).
PROJECTED CUT-OFF MARK AFTER TWO ROUNDS
82 Nicola Taylor (Dunnikier Park), Nicola Robertson (Dunblane New), Molly Stewart (Murcar Links).
83 Emma Hale (Troon Ladies).    
84 Alison Goodwin (Glenbervie), Alexandra Tait (St Regulus), Katie McGarva (Troon Ladies), Rheanna Thom (Alyth), Emily Dalgetty (Glencorse).
85 Claire Gadsby (Crieff), Chloe Goadby (St Regulus).
86 Mirren Fraser (Powfoot), Sophie Maguire (St Regulus), Catherine Small (Gullane Ladies), Rosie Everett (Craigielaw).
87 Eva O'Connor (Bothwell Castle).
88 Hazel MacGarvie (Troon Ladies).
89 Shannon McWilliam (Aboyne).
90 Kirsten Pryde (Deeside), Jessica Dalgetty (Glencorse), Alexandra Qayum (Ranfurly Castle).
91 Emma Kennedy (Paisley), Claire Robertson (Carnoustie Ladies), Catherine Goodwin (Glenbervie).
92 Kirsty Brodie (Strathmore).
94 Emily Glencorse (Millport), Heather Neilson (Mouse Valley)
95 Jennifer Allan (Glenbervie).
97 Leanne Wilson (Kelso), Joanne Free (Musselburgh Old).
99 Alexandra Brown (Turnberry).
108 Julie Glencorse (Millport).

EVIAN MASTERS SET TO BECOME LPGA'S FIFTH MAJOR IN 2013

FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
The Evian Masters, long a favourite among LPGA players for its Parisian stage and bulging purse, is going to be an even bigger hit.
Beginning in 2013, Evian will be designated as a major championship, the LPGA’s fifth, sources told Golfweek.
The LPGA’s number of major championships has been a moving target over the years. The tour’s current majors – Kraft Nabisco Championship, Wegmans LPGA Championship, U.S. Women’s Open and Ricoh Women’s British Open – have been a foursome only since 2001. Before the British Open achieved major status, the du Maurier Classic was the tour’s fourth major, from 1979 to 2000.
In the 1970s and ‘80s, bagging a major was more difficult: The LPGA had three majors on its schedule from 1979 to ’82, and only two for most of the ’70s.
For years, Evian has pushed to become a major. According to sources, tournament officials agreed to numerous changes proposed by LPGA commissioner Mike Whan, notably a lengthening of scenic Evian Masters Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains from its current 6,344 yards.
On this year’s schedule, the Evian precedes the Ricoh Women’s British Open at Carnoustie, so the French stop likely would move to the fall.
A formal announcement is expected to be made during the July 21-24 Evian event.
Opinions at the recent U.S. Women’s Open were mixed.
“More chances to win,” said Jiyai Shin, whose eight LPGA victories include the 2008 Ricoh Women’s British Open. “That’s a good thing.”
Not necessarily so, according to a winner of multiple major titles who requested anonymity.
“As a traditionalist, I originally probably would be opposed to something like that,” said the veteran player. “But certain situations and a commitment from a certain sponsor over a long period of time has raised the purse that we play for at the U.S. Open. That commitment, we don’t have from any of our other sponsors.”Evian awards $3.25 million in prize money – the same purse as the U.S. Women’s Open.
Another change also is in the works: Sources tell Golfweek the Wegmans LPGA Championship, now played at Locust Hill Country Club, could move to a three-course rotation in the Rochester, New York area and push back a couple of weeks in June, to distance the event from the U.S. Women’s Open.
This year, three majors and the Evian Masters were held in a six-week span. The idea that one player could get red-hot in the summer and sweep the season-ending awards isn’t widely embraced on tour. There has been discussion that the LPGA may not stop at five majors, either. With so many Asian events on the schedule and numerous young Asian stars – add Monday's US Women’s Open champion So Yeon Ryu to the talent from the East – the LPGA could possibly designate a major in Asia, too. One candidate for elevation: the early-season HSBC Champions in Singapore.
After all, can there be too much of a good thing?